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Caramelized Onion Fontina PizzaCaramelized onions are a favorite of mine and when they are paired with my favorite cheese the combination makes for a great salty – sweet treat.  The main cheese in this pizza is fontina with a shredded combination of asiago, provolone & parmesan.  THis pizza makes a great appetizer or meal!

Ingredients

  • 5 to 6 large Vidalia onions thinly sliced
  • Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup red wine (optional) or if not using wine 1/2 cup water
  • Homemade or store bought pizza dough  or I love to use Mama Mary’s Ready Made Pizza Crusts for a quick fix!
  • 12 to 16 ounces of shredded cheese: Fontina, Asiago, Provolone & Parmesan

How to:

  1. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
  2. Add onions and stir until onions are coated well with oil.  (add more oil if needed)
  3. Add a pinch of salt and stir onions.
  4. Check on the onions every 5 to 10 minutes.
    • 10 minute Mark: In around 10 minutes onions will start to soften and turn translucent. They will release a lot of liquid in theCaramelized Onion and Fontina Pizza pan.
    • 20 Minute Mark: your onions will be very soft and some will show some spots of caramelization. They will start to release sugar (known as fond) which may stick to the bottom of the pan (that is ok! – just scrape it up and adjust the heat if it seems like they are burning)
    • 30 Minute Mark: At this point onions are light brown in color and somewhat jamlike. Stir the onions and scrape up the fond from the bottom.
    • 40 Minute Mark: The onions smell amazing at this point and should be golden brown.  If you want them darker – let them go another 10 minutes.
  5. Add the brown sugar (this is optional but for this pizza I recommend it!) and stir until melted in to the onions.
  6. Deglaze the pan by pouring 1/2 cup of red wine or 1/2 cup water into the pan.
  7. Scrape up all the stuck bits off the bottom of the pan (the fond)
  8. Remove from pan and let them cool
  9. Preheat oven to 450
  10. Spread half of the shredded cheese mixture over the pizza dough or pre-made crust
  11. Layer with the caramelized onions and then top with the remaining cheese.
  12. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes if using a pre-made crust and a bit longer for dough.

 

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